Definition
boustrophedonic
adjective
- written or printed in alternating directions, with lines running from left to right and then right to left, like the path of an ox plowing a field
Usage: technical; chiefly used in reference to ancient writing systems and typography
Examples
- Ancient Greek inscriptions sometimes employed boustrophedonic writing to save space on stone tablets.
- The boustrophedonic style of the Etruscan texts made them challenging for modern scholars to read.
- Early alphabetic systems occasionally used boustrophedonic arrangement, with every other line reversed.
- The manuscript displayed a boustrophedonic pattern, alternating direction with each successive line.
- Boustrophedonic writing was more efficient for scribes working with limited writing surfaces.